I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

Simon Dupree And The Big Sound : Without Reservations 1/1 1st Mono Press 1967

This first mono pressing plays to an incredible standard with essentially no interference and when you look at the pristine quality of the vinyl that is not surprising!  The clarity, depth, power and warmth of the audio is sensational and even my Near Mint grading of a couple of tracks could be considered a little harsh.  It has only been very lightly played judging by the sonic quality and the minimal spindle wear and is easily a FINAL UPGRADE archive classic.

If you are reading this then more than likely you will know that this was early incarnation of Gentle Giant.  A very different 'sound' of course but the signs are still there in my opinion especially on a couple of tracks.  Musically it is very strong which is what you would expect from the Shulman brothers.  Their sister Evelyn King even co-wrote two of the tracks!

The Patents pending G & L cover is in lovely condition with only the bare minimum of wear and the original EMI inner just has one small side split and some tape marks.

This relatively rare first pressing was only pressed in limited numbers and has the earliest known stampers on the run outs.  In stunning condition it is so rarely found in this condition today I am sure. 

PMC 7029 // XEX 639-1 / XEX 640-1 // R 1 / M 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 & T3 Near Mint)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-)

The cover is Ex+

The EMI inner sleeve is VG+

The labels are Near Mint

Visual description

This vinyl is a thing of beauty!  It's not often I find a vinyl older than me that is absolutely pristine!  It has been so well preserved and has clearly not been played very much.  It has an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen with no marks or scratches and even when I look under a bright light I can only locate a handful of ultra faint sleeve removal hairlines.  They are not easy to find!  The grooves are incredibly clean and there is obviously no groove wear.  The run grooves are so clean and the Parlophone labels are also in superb shape with no marking and only very minimal spindle wear.  The KT tax stamp can be seen on the S1 label.  A STUNNING example!

Play grading

The run in on S1 is unbelievably clean with no background at all.  '60 Minutes Of Your Love' then plays with great clarity and warmth.  There are no ticks, clicks, pops or static - maybe a little distortion on the guitar or is that just the way it was produced / recorded?  Of course this is a mono record being played through a stereo set up.  The second part of the medley 'A Lot Of Love' then plays to the same standard with no actual interference aside from that minor distorted sound towards the end perhaps.  I will grade them both as Near Mint as they still play with great quality.

The intro on 'Love' is superb and the opening vocal is just as strong.  It continues in the same way and there is a genuine sense of depth to the music here.  Not forgetting the clarity either, the playback is so clean and there is nothing that detracts from the audio.  A Mint- version.

The intro on 'Get Off My Bach' again plays perfectly - definite sign of Gentle Giant here!  The first verse / 'chorus' have no intrusion and there is just one light tick in the middle section.  The final vocal / end instrumental play with stunning clarity and overall Near Mint is deserved.

The piano intro on 'There's A Little Picture Playhouse' could not play any better and the first vocal has no intrusion either.  From then on it plays so clearly and I cannot find one single negative.  A great track with more Gentle Giant vibes if you ask me.  Mint- at the very least.

'Day Time, Night Time' ends S1 with superb audio once more.  The clarity of sound is so impressive for a final track and if there is any inner groove distortion it is kept to an absolute minimum.  In actual fact I'm not sure there is any!  From start to finish you cannot fault the clarity and Mint- is again richly deserved.  Another perfectly clean fade out also.

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The intro on 'I See The Light' is perfect and then the opening vocal plays with great clarity and power.  The mid instrumental has no intrusion either and the rest of the track is just as strong.  A busy track this one and yet the sonic quality is still so impressive.  No static distortion etc this has to grade as Mint- at the very least.

'What Is Soul' plays with stunning quality through every vocal and instrumental section.  As clean as it would have been back in '67 the clarity of sound is incredible and Mint is well deserved.

The self-penned 'Teacher, Teacher' again plays with phenomenal quality with no sign of any interference.  I cannot emphasise enough how strong and clear the audio is, a stunning version.  Mint

The mainly vocal intro on 'Amen' is faultless and this standard is kept up as you progress this reggae type number.  A Sam Cooke number it plays with sublime Mint audio from start to finish.

'Who Cares' more than keeps up this fine standard and plays with STUNNING quality throughout.  It's a great track with more Gentle Giant signs if you ask me.  No ticks, clicks, pops or static the audio is so clean and precise and grades as Mint

'Reservations' plays with tremendous power and depth and again you cannot fail be impressed by the sonic quality considering it is the final track on the side.  A hint of inner groove distortion perhaps?  I am honestly not sure and the playback is still so clean and there is nothing to detract from the overall sound.  Let's say Mint- but wow what an album!

In summary this first pressing plays with sensational audio on both sides with no interference.  There are no ticks, clicks or pops and no static either.  A minor touch of distortion but so so minor and even then I'm probably doing myself a disservice by mentioning it!  The dead wax between tracks always gives a good idea of the clarity on a record and here I think every one was silent bar one which had just one light static.  This is as good as it gets basically and is a FINAL UPGRADE archive classic in my opinion with a superb cover to match.

The Cover & Inner Sleeve

The Patents pending G & L cover is in great condition with no obvious wear really.  The edges and thin spine are so clean and the corners have hardly any wear either.  The opening edge has only minimal handling wear and the laminated front cover is in lovely condition also with just 3/4 small creases next to the spine and one barely visible corner crease top right.  The back cover is superb and the 'white' background has no marking at all!  The flipbacks are still firmly attached and have only light speckling / marking around the edges mainly on the right and bottom edge one.  A stunning example overall.

The original EMI inner is very clean but does have one very small side split which was initially repaired by some tape.  You can see the tape marks on the photos and one side has a strange rectangular tape mark and a small piece of tape on it also.  In spite of that it still looks strong and there is no other marking and barely any creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

PMC 7029 // XEX 639-1 / XEX 640-1 // R 1 / M 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

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